What at first seems to be a simple and straightforward - if not casual - story of two people who appear to be opposites (the romantic and the revolutionary), instead reveals a story of political intrigue and double-crossing. The plot follows two cellmates who pass their time in a prison, by remembering and reinventing classics of the silver screen. Strike directs a stellar cast with Mbulelo Grootboom ( Rainbow Scars, Iagos Last Dance, Hamlet) as Valentin and Wessel Pretorius ( Ont, Die Ontelbare 48, Balbesit) as Molina, in this journey of self-awareness, intrigue, romance, revolution, love and betrayal, with lighting design by Mannie Manim, set and costume design by Wolf Britz and music by Brendan Jury. In 2019 she was awarded the prestigious Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Government and is a former Standard Bank Young Artist for Drama winner and Featured Artist of the National Arts Festival. In recent years at The Baxter, Strike has directed hugely acclaimed productions such as Endgame, Curse of the Starving Class, Tartuffe, Tobacco and The Miser.

Originally written in Spanish in 1976 by Puig, translated into English by Allan Baker, Kiss of the Spider Woman, has captured the attention of audiences for its romantic drama, political outcry and postmodern style portrayed through its two characters, Molina and Valentin.

Booking is now open for the modern classic, Manuel Puig’s extraordinary play, Kiss of the Spider Woman, directed by the multi-award winning Sylvaine Strike.

Kiss of the spider woman puig